[DIherself]

Does anyone know what the best paint stripper is for getting about two coats off of old pine window molding and baseboards? Thanx, Jean

 

[Gymschu]

I do, but it is very caustic to use. To be on the safe side, try one of the citrus removers. Be patient, let it work and two layers should come off fairly easily. I usually apply some, cover it with plastic or Saran Wrap and let it work. Of course you might want to test for lead before you get too carried away.

 

[DIherself]

pardon my newbie-ness, but since the molding is vertical, won't it drip off? And I can't imagine how to make saran wrap stay on there. If you tell me the caustic way, I promise I'll be careful. There's more windows in the room than wall, and I'll open them all and let the air in...

 

[Gymschu]

Most paint strippers are thick, gel-like substances and will stick to vertical surfaces. Saran wrap can be place over top of the stripper to keep it from drying out. Trust me, you don't want the harsh chemical strippers in your house........any drips on your skin will burn and the noxious fumes will harm your lungs without a respirator.

 

[DIherself]

okay. Thanx for writing me back. I'll try the citrus.

 

[user1007]

Some of the newer strippers are gels and will stick well to vertical surfaces.

Another gift from God still somewhat new to the market is an infrared stripper. It will heat multiple layers of paint and allow you to scrape them right off with minimal fire risk. You can rent a good one from a toolyard. Somewhat tricky to use on trim though.

What are you hoping to gain by the way? Not often does stripping painted pine lead to the bare wood look you were hoping for in my experience. Worth a shot I guess if you think only two coats are on their.

Remember if it is older it might have lead content.

 

[user1007]

And sorry, I sometimes forget the obvious. With only two layers of paint your fastest stripping method may be scrapers with really sharp blades. If you can get it off this way you also avoid the heat generated from chemical, abrasive, infrared, etc. stripping methods that can melt paint into the grain of soft woods like pine.

If the pine was painted the way it should be with a good primer, and especially one sealing and penetrating, you will have trouble getting it out of the grain. Try stripping it down though. Then shellac. Then strip the shellac and see if it pulls pigment in the grain out.

 

[housepaintingny]

Peel Away is a safe stripper to use and there are no fumes.

 

[Millertyme]

from my experiences i have realized that anything that is environmentally safe does not work very well. For me, peel away, doest get through the tough stuff. For the tougher stuff I use strip-ease. It seems to work the best.

 

[housepaintingny]

from my experiences i have realized that anything that is environmentally safe does not work very well. For me, peel away, doest get through the tough stuff. For the tougher stuff I use strip-ease. It seems to work the best.

We generally use strpeese too, but if someone is looking for a less caustic, safer alternative peel away will work if you follow the instructions.

 

[DIherself]

thank you all. The paint is literally falling off the wood by itself (that's how long it's been!) and that's how I can see how pretty the wood is underneath the two coats. I just want to get it down to the wood; then I will have to research what kind of stain or oil to use to protect the wood. I think my house will sell better if the buyer can see the good wood, and then they can paint it whatever color they want. Just an idea...

 

[DIherself]

Oh, and I did scrape as much as I possibly could with a sharp scraper. There's still too much paint on there. I tried to sand it, but the paint won't budge, so I think I'm going to have to use a chemical stripper. At least I have a few products to try, thanks to you all.